Two Concord teachers named MDUSD 2025-26 Teachers of the Year
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Mar. 27, 2025) — Mt. Diablo High School teacher Dr. David Pintado and Silverwood Elementary’s Elizabeth Swanson were selected last month as the two Mt. Diablo Unified School District 2025-26 Teachers of the Year.
The pair were selected from eight finalists in the District that also included Tabatha Box (teacher at Ygnacio Valley High), Lisa Cattrone (Concord HS), Veronica Leno Garcia (Cambridge Elementary), Katherine Gates (Pleasant Hill Middle), Theresa Gutierrez (Meadow Homes Elementary) and Ernesto “Ernie” Minglana (Sequoia Middle).
The two MDUSD finalists were chosen from more than 200 educators nominated throughout the district.
Pintado and Swanson represent the spectrum of learning in MDUSD, from the littlest learners in TK (Swanson) to high school students (Pintado) ready to graduate and move onto college and careers.
They will represent the district as nominees in the Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year competition, which will announce four finalists next month and its two winners in September.
Pintado teaches the Career Technical Education Patient Care Pathway courses at Mt. Diablo, where he enjoys introducing students to healthcare careers in classes where they can earn college credit and valuable skills including CPR and Community Emergency Response Training through partnerships with Diablo Valley College and the city of Concord.
Swanson stresses the importance of joyful learning through play to build students’ literacy, math and social and emotional skills with playful activities and interactions in her transitional kindergarten classroom and on the playground at Silverwood.
Dr. Pintado becomes teacher
Pintado is a family practice medical doctor licensed in Mexico, who practiced medicine for 28 years and taught nursing and public health in universities in Mexico for 20 years. He then relocated to the U.S. and became a CTE health career teacher based on his extensive experience, as well as his Master’s and PhD degrees.
After teaching adults at Heald College and health sciences in West Contra Costa Unified, he came to Mt. Diablo in 2016. He began teaching courses there in the Medical and Biotechnology Academy, which has now transitioned to the Patient Care Pathway.
In addition, he is a health sciences adjunct professor at Diablo Valley College, coaches tennis at MDHS, teaches sports medicine and advises the sports medicine club that helps athletes at games. Pintado mentors students in the HOSA Future Health Professionals organization. He also operates an East Bay CPR first aid training center business, where he employs MDHS students as interns.
“This is my second home,” Pintado said, during a break in his Concord classroom, which includes a separate training center for CPR, first aid and basic life support authorized by the American Heart Association and the Health Safety Institute for emergency response certification.
“I like to teach because we can create change in the youth and change in how we approach conflicts and health and safety hazards. We can change the way we do things. That’s what motivates me to keep doing this because I see the results.
“I like to teach health because I want to teach the future generations to take care of our health. When I’m in my 70s and 80s, they are going to be nurses and doctors, and I want to be sure they are taught properly.”
MDUSD’s Director of College and Career Readiness Heather Fontanilla says the District is lucky to have Pintado as a Career Technical Education teacher. “He is passionate about preparing students for college and career. He makes his classes come alive by connecting his curriculum to skills that are used in the workplace.”
Swanson is a 35-year veteran
Swanson has taught for 35 years, starting at Rio Vista Elementary in Bay Point before moving to Silverwood Elementary in Concord, where she has taught kindergarten and, for the past 11 years, transitional kindergarten. “I adore it,” she said as she guided children in play-based learning. “I like being able to be child-centered—focused on them and seeing what they need and making lessons that meet their needs.”
Swanson’s instructional assistant Nancy Espino, whose daughter had Swanson as her TK teacher several years ago, nominated her for Teacher of the Year. “I learned so much from the way she taught,” Espino said, adding that her four-year-old daughter began learning to read and learning strategies that would help her succeed in kindergarten. “She is the most patient teacher I have ever seen with little children. She’s a wonderful teacher that you can trust, and she looks out for all kids. She’s someone you definitely want your children to start with.”
Swanson is keenly aware that she is setting the stage for each child’s educational journey, so she works to ensure her students find joy in coming to school, are willing to take risks, and are building both academic and social and emotional skills in her classroom.
To ensure that her students can move around and socialize with each other, she gives them plenty of time on the playground and in the classroom’s different play areas. “Children need to get out of their chairs,” she said, adding that she incorporates three kinds of play into their day: teacher-facilitated, child-centered and collaborative.
Swanson is highly regarded as a leader, mentor and TK expert in the district and county. “Her love for teaching shines through in her classroom, where she creates a warm, engaging and inspiring learning environment,” said Kimberly Anderson, who brings new teachers to Swanson’s classroom twice a year to observe as part of the District’s Teacher Induction and Support Program. “She is creative, kind and passionate, making a lasting impact on both her students and colleagues.”
MDUSD provided information for this story.